United Nations (WIPO) - Switzerland

The United Nations World Intellectual Property Division in Geneva, Switzerland. I’ve been working alongside WIPO for the past 5-6 months. They contacted me to consult and help develop guidelines for indigenous artists to collaborate within the fashion industry. We did a few meetings via Zoom to develop guidelines, and I shared my experiences working with the global brands I have relationships with. It was an honor to be an advocate for indigenous artists and represent the Tlingit people.

Fast forward to end of October, I received an email from WIPO to be a guest speaker when they present these guidelines in a meeting in Geneva, Switzerland on Nov. 2nd. The meeting was titled “High Level Dialog on Indigenous Peoples, Traditional Cultural Expressions and Fashion.” It was an incredible opportunity to be involved with. This is a global initiative, indigenous artists and brands from all over the world were in attendance.

WIPO Headquarters - just wrapping up my panel discussion

My panel was titled “When Synergies Align” - where I had the floor for 12 mins to speak about my experiences working with brands like Vans, Lib-Tech, Volcom, Yeti, Smartwool, and Google. Personal relationships are everything, built on trust and respect. The companies I work with respect my culture, and want to represent it the correct way. They don’t try to change it, or fit it into their own ideals or agenda. They also all give back to my community in Alaska, which is really important for me to support my people, especially the native youth with the opportunities I have.

World Intellectual Property Headquarters - impressive walking in

The trip to Switzerland was incredible, amazing to visit and share my Tlingit culture, tradition and art in such a prestigious place like the United Nations. Gunalcheesh for the experience.